Women's Ice Hockey All-Conference Teams Announced

Mar 06, 2014

Williams' Bravi Named Player of the Year

HADLEY, Mass. – Senior forward Cristina Bravi (Montreal, Quebec) of Williams has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2014 NESCAC Player of the Year. Bravi, the league’s top scorer, has helped the Ephs to a 13-9-3 record and a 9-4-3 mark in NESCAC play en route to their first conference championship semifinal appearance since 2006. She is the second Williams player to be named Player of the Year, joining former Eph Molly Wasserman, who was honored in 2002 and 2004.

In addition to earning the conference’s top honor, Bravi received all-conference recognition for the first time in her career. Through 25 games this season, Bravi leads all league players in points and goals with 36 and 19, respectively. She is third in the league with 17 assists. Bravi has registered at least one point in 24 of the 25 games this season, and enjoyed a 20-game point streak to start the season.

First-year defender Hanna Beattie (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) of Williams joined Bravi on the First Team after leading all NESCAC defenders with 31 points on 13 goals and 18 assists. Her 31 points are second only to Bravi in conference scoring, while her 18 assists are good for second as well. Beattie’s efforts resulted in the league coaches naming her the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. She is the first Eph to earn the award.

Beattie is joined on the blue line by Middlebury first-year Carly Watson (Montpelier, Vt.). Watson paced the conference with 19 assists and 14 power-play points on a power-play goal and 13 assists. She also ranks second among NESCAC defenders with 20 points, which was tied for fourth on the Panther scoring list. Watson was also part of a defense that allowed 1.72 goals per game, as Middlebury earned the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Championship for the fourth straight season.

Amherst junior forward Tori Salmon (Batavia, N.Y.) makes her second straight appearance on the First Team after sitting in second on the conference’s goal list with 16 and fourth among NESCAC players with 25 points. She tallied three game-winners this season, as the Jeffs received the second seed for the conference championship.

Connecticut College senior Courtney Dumont (Yarmouth, Maine) rounds out the list of First Team forwards. Dumont was elevated to the First Team after being named the Rookie of the Year in 2011 and chosen for the Second Team in 2011 and 2012. She leads the Camels in scoring with 18 points, and is tied for the squad lead with nine goals. Dumont has also contributed three power-play goals and one shorthanded goal for Connecticut College this season.

Making her first appearance on the First Team after landing on the 2012 Second Team is Colby senior goaltender Brianne Wheeler (Brussels, Ontario). Wheeler has been the backbone for the Mules all season with over 1,450 minutes logged. Through 24 appearances, Wheeler has posted a .936 save percentage to tie for the league lead with a conference-high 761 saves, while her 2.15 goals against average ranks fifth in the league. She has three shutouts to her credit this season. Wheeler’s 43-save performance helped the Mules knock off Amherst, 3-2, in the NESCAC quarterfinal game.

Williams head coach Meghan Gillis was honored as Coach of the Year by her coaching peers. After posting a 9-15-1 record last season, she has guided the Ephs to a 13-9-3 overall record in her third year at the helm. Williams is making its first NESCAC semifinal appearance since 2006, and is hosting the NESCAC Championship rounds for the first time in program history. A former Bowdoin ice hockey standout, Gillis was the 2004 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-NESCAC selection and an All-America honoree.